Battle of Dadgori
|- ! colspan="2" style="background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"|Belligerents |- | style="border-right: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170); width: 50%;"| Kormenian Empire | style="width: 50%; padding-left: 0.25em;"| Principality of Arcadia |- ! colspan="2" style="background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"|Commanders |- | style="border-right: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170); width: 50%;"| Emmanuel I | style="width: 50%; padding-left: 0.25em;"| Eliseo I Petronio Fabozzi |- ! colspan="2" style="background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"|Strength |- | style="border-right: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170); width: 50%;"|~25,600 | style="width: 50%; padding-left: 0.25em;"|~40,000 - 60,000 |- ! colspan="2" style="background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"|Casualties and losses |- | style="border-right: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170); width: 50%;"| Very Minor losses | style="width: 50%; padding-left: 0.25em;"|About 70% Of Arcadians were killed, 25% captured |}The Battle of Dadgori (Hellenic: Μάχη της Dτητη) was fought between the armies of the Kormenia and the declining Principality of Arcadia at the place of Dadgori, 40 km west of Beretea, on August 12, 1913. The battle resulted in King Emmanuel I of Kormenia decisive victory over a Arcadian invasion army under Eliseo I and mayor general Petronio Fabozzi and the subsequent reconquest of western territories of Ruthenia. The victory at Dadgori inaugurated the Empire of Kormenia and is celebrated in the Kormenian chronicles as a "miraculous victory" (θαυματουργική νίκη). Modern Ruthenes continue to remember the event as an annual January festival known as Didgoroba ("the day of Didgori"). Background Thanks to the constant civil wars between aristocrats in the last 100 years in Kormenia made their neighbors in Arcadia they saw welcomed the possible invasion and annexation of the territories west Terepesos, where after the prevailing anarchy of the Korimi kingdom, the Arcadians advantage and took much of the land Cinspatria However, in the 1900s, the energetic new Kormenian king Emmanuel I was able to exploit internal unrest in the Arcadian state, and established a relatively strong monarchy, reorganizing his army and recruiting Slavians, Alan, and even mercenaries to lead them to the reconquest of lost lands and the expulsion of Arcadian raiders. Emmanuel renounced the tribute to the Arcadians in 1906/7, put an end to the seasonal migrations of the foreigners into Kormenia, and recovered several key fortresses in a series of campaigns from 1904 to 1908. His major goal being the reconquest of Terepesos, an ancient Kormenian city which had been under Arcadian rule for over two centuries, Emmanuel launched his military activities outside Kormenia, penetrating as far as the Araxes river basin and the Caspian littoral, and terrorizing Mauryan traders throughout the South Coast. By June 1912 Kormenian forces take almost all the lost territories. The Battle The resurgence of Kormenian’ military energies brought about a coordinated Arcadian response. Both Kormenian and Arcadian sources testify that, on the complaints of the Mauryans of Terepesos, Grand Prince Eliseo I sent an expedition into Kormenia in which the Viceroy of Arcadia Petronio Fabozzi took part. This army under the overall command of Fabozzi entered the valley of Dadgori in western Kormenia and encamped in the vicinities of Dadgori and Manglisi in mid-August 1913. Emmanuel sent a small detachment of his men in order to simulate negotiation. Meanwhile, he successfully managed to deploy a large portion of his troops where they would almost encircle the enemy in a pincer movement. The Arcadians leadership remained unaware of such activities. Upon approaching the Arcadians leaders, the diplomat group unveiled their real intentions by suddenly attacking and killing the enemy commander and others who were attending. This decisive surprise attack caused confusion in the ranks of the Arcadian forces and likely contributed to the chaotic response to the final attack. The Kormenian forces were divided into several groups under Emmanuel and his son, Andreas. Those simultaneously struck against the Arcadian flanks, leaving only a gap in the rear so that an escape was possible. Emmanuel considered that as a calculated part of his plan. Seeing that gap, the psychological impact of being almost completely surrounded, would provoke the leaderless men to break their formations and head to safety through the gap. However, in a pitched three hours battle, the Mauryan troops broke and were completely overrun. Many of those who fled were constantly run down by pursuing Kormenian cavalry for several days. A huge amount of booty and prisoners were secured by Emmanuel's army. Aside from those accounts, it has also been suggested that confronted by a much smaller but still superior force, Emmanuel had to rely on the advantages the nearby terrain had offered. The Mauryan cavalry was tricked into a narrow pass where they likely had not much room to maneuver and were easily taken out by spears and pikes. The rest of the coalition army was probably forced to climb slopes to attack the Kormenian army's main body, while suddenly being struck at the flanks. After a while, those tactics broke the fighting will of the Mauryan army, which was soon routed. King Emmanuel didn't hesitate and ordered his light cavalry to run down the retreating soldiers. The amount of men fleeing the field must have been so huge, that the Kormenian cavalry was on pursuit for several days. A huge number of prisoners were most likely taken. In either case, the enemy army was completely disintegrated, as the Kormenians were able to liberate the entire region from Arcadian influence and even contest territories within the Mauryan Principate. Consequences After the Battle of Dadgori, various nobles and ecclesiastics in Beretea claimed Emmanuel as the sole ruler of Ruthenia and the Patriarch named it as "Basileus" of Kormenia, founding the Imperial dynasty based in the unification of the Ruthenian people in one flag and one man, follower of god. The Mauryans give up his pretensions and Eliseo have to pay a heavy tribute to reparations and give back the city of Terepesos, the last Mauryan enclave of Ruthenian Peninsula. See Also * Emmanuel I * History of Ruthenia * Empire of Kormenia Category:History of Ruthenia